Today marks the start of national Depression Awareness Week (22nd -28th April), an annual campaign run by the Depression Alliance. The campaign is an important opportunity to raise public awareness that our mental health is as important as our physical health – and to acknowledge that many of us will experience periods of our lives where we need emotional support from family, friends and professionals.
While we need the love and support of others to guide us through challenging times, it’s also important that we take a proactive approach to looking after ourselves in order to maintain sound emotional and psychological wellbeing. However, it’s not always easy to take the time to focus on ourselves, which is why The Mind Sanctuary has put together some ‘top tips to support emotional wellbeing’, that outline small changes that could make a big difference to your quality of life.
Our ten top tips for emotional wellbeing:
1. Give yourself the time out you deserve
It can be hard to find the time for ourselves, when faced with the many demands of our daily lives. But if we don’t put our needs first occasionally, how can we maintain enough energy to support others? Taking time out can be difficult to achieve – but there are simple ways that you can start the process. For example, take a few moments in your day to practice mindfulness, take up a new practice such as Qigong, treat yourself to a massage, or try another form of bodywork. Taking time out may mean being active or not doing anything at all. It’s all about putting yourself first!
2. Eat a healthy, balanced diet
Existing studies suggest that a healthy diet can have a protective effect on mental health, and that a number of mental health conditions may be influenced by dietary factors. Yet on a daily basis many of us give little thought to the food and drink we consume and few of us know which foods and nutrients have been linked to mental health and emotional wellbeing. The Mind Sanctuary will be launching a new campaign next month to help make it simple for people to adopt a ‘good mood food’ lifestyle.
3. Take exercise
Exercise appears to affect particular neurotransmitter systems in the brain, giving us a natural high and helping to reduce tension and anxiety. Recent research has also been published that recommends regular physical exercise such as walking should be a treatment option for people with mild depression. If you struggle to motivate yourself to exercise, why not try joining an outdoor exercise group run by Liberté Fitness. Liberté runs groups across Suffolk in parks, gardens and even on beaches!
4. Get some sleep!
It may sound obvious, but it’s important to get enough sleep in order to support our emotional wellbeing. Sleep helps to reduce stress, improve your memory, support clear thinking and keep you healthy. If you have difficulty sleeping there are several tools and therapies that may help – check out The Mind Sanctuary’s Top Five Natural Tips for Banishing Insomnia and Overcoming Sleep Problems.
5. Be sociable – it’s good for your health and lifespan.
A recent large scale study highlighted how important being sociable is for our emotional health and longevity. In today’s modern world, online communication channels such as social networking and community forums can also provide a lifeline for people who are unable to get out to socialise, for example due to illness or caring responsibilities. The Mind Sanctuary produced a report last year exploring the link between the internet and mental health – click here to read ‘Mental Health & The Internet – The Good, The Bad and The Revolutionary’.
And if you’re a social networker, check out The Mind Sanctuary’s Facebook page!
6. Explore services, therapies and tools that will support your wellbeing
There are a range of services, therapies and resources out there to help support your emotional wellbeing. Organisations such as Suffolk Mind offer a wide range of information and support. And The Mind Sanctuary directory lists a wide range of therapists and service providers that can offer you support, from counsellors and psychotherapists, to life coaches and local organisations that support people with mental health issues in the workplace, such as Mentis Tree.
You can also download some free wellbeing tools via The Mind Sanctuary website, including a 7 day stress management e-course from Suffolk stress management expert Charlie Damonsing, and a taster ‘Desk Yoga’ video developed by The Self Centre in Bury St Edmunds.
7. Nature is nurture
Whether it’s eating your lunch outside, doing some gardening or going for a walk, it’s important to try and get outdoors on a regular basis. Soaking up the sunshine also increases vitamin D levels, and spending time in “green” places has been shown to improve our mood.
8. Continue learning
Continued learning is one of the 5 evidence based steps to emotional wellbeing. Whether you’re looking to build your confidence and self esteem, improve your prospects or be more creative, it is never too late to get back into the education system and learn something new. Leap, a hub for all adult learning courses in Suffolk, can help you find the right course for your needs.
9. Random acts of kindness
Numerous scientific studies show that acts of kindness result in health benefits, both mental and physical and the act of giving also forms one fo the 5 evidence based steps to wellbeing. Helping can enhance our feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience and vigour, and can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation. A random act of kindness is a selfless act offered in order to help or support an individual, group or organisation. It can be spontaneous or planned, the key element is that nothing is expected in return. The Mind Sanctuary website offers ideas for random acts of kindness and provides more information on how kindness impacts our emotional wellbeing.
10. Be happy in your work!
We spend a large portion of our life at work so it’s important that you feel fulfilled. If there are issues with colleagues at work that make life less pleasant, take steps to resolve the conflict. If your job is too stressful or you’re unhappy in your work, consider what steps you can make to change things. The Mind Sanctuary can link you to business coaches to help you figure out what your ideal job is and how to make steps towards a brighter future. If you are currently unemployed then local organisations such as Leap and Workwise may be able to help you get back into the workplace, so that you can enjoy the increased self-esteem and sense of connection that being employed can provide.
